Karen Ferry’s Cannes Diary #2

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Screen Shot 2018-06-22 at 3.30.20 pm.jpgKaren Ferry, senior copywriter at Leo Burnett Sydney is representing Australia in this year’s See It Be It programme in Cannes. Here she shares her experiences straight from the festival, exclusively for CB.

Today, I met a knight and she wore a silk dress.

 

Her name? Sylvia Rotta.

 

I also met Dave Droga (R.I.P. me). Colleen DeCourcy. Kat Gordon and Lisen Stromberg from the 3% Movement. Names of famous industry leaders, now formed into advocates: of us. In between, we sit in on a lecture with Thandie Newton (above), British vogue editor Edward Enninful and Tiffany Warren from Ominicom.

Thandie explains that through her work to create diversity in film, “I’ve seen the industry change, and it’s about demand”. But Tiffany brings it home in a pretty undeniable way: “If we can stop people from smoking or raise money for cancer, we can create diversity as well”.

 

However, as I look around, it’s clear that in this hall they’re preaching to the converted. The people who need to listen to their message are on yachts on the shoreline, getting sunburnt through their Birkenstocks. It seems there’s two types at Cannes – those wanting to learn, and those who think they know enough.

 

And so, we continue to learn. The group then gets a crash course in doing killer award entries, and discuss aligning your values with your company’s and understanding your creative capital. We also all get heatstroke.

 

Screen Shot 2018-06-22 at 3.30.33 pm.jpgThat night, we’re on the door list to the Spotify beach party, who are this year’s sponsors of See it Be It. Once we arrive, I’m told that the band warming up on stage with all the hair? They’re The Killers. It turns out this is one of the most exclusive parties of the year.

 

As they play, the crowd forming the moshpit is small but love singing along to songs with non-sensical lyrics from 2004. As I look behind us, people are lined up along the Croisette, watching the stage from the promenade. It struck me that being at this party is total privilege – having a better view and experience than the people not allowed through the gate. (Later on I find out that two APAC creatives watch the whole concert from a dingy in the ocean. Good on ’em.)

 

But on the floor, it’s amazing to have women from around the world dancing in one circle. And with that many diverse women gathered in one place, it starts to attract more women and people of colour to join. Everyone brings their own style, from their own background. And one woman dances barefoot, en-fucking-pointe.